Two Stairs Apart

Runtime target: 24min anime | 60-70 panels webtoon*

_Cold Open | 0:00–1:30_

_Visual:_ Present day. 7:12am. Same penthouse, Gangnam.

He’s in a suit, tie half-done. Coffee machine beeps. He ignores it. Picks up phone. No new messages. Opens Naver. Search bar autofills: “Ministry of Land Director appointments 2026”. Her father’s name is first result. He closes the tab.

_Sound:_ Only the coffee machine hissing. Then silence.

_Cut to black._

_Act 1: Yeouido | Age 21 | 1:30–9:00_

_Setting:_ 2021 summer. University district. Internship season. Everyone’s in cheap blazers pretending to be adults.

_Key Beats:_

_Re-Meet:_ Campus job fair. He’s staffing his company’s booth — startup, no logo anyone knows. She walks by in a group. Ministry internship badge. Their eyes meet for 0.5 seconds. Both look away.

_Panel note:_ Crowd parts between them like the Red Sea. Two panels, no dialogue.

_Stairwell Scene:_ He takes the stairs to avoid her. Floor 6. She’s coming down. Both stop. Two stairs apart. Neither moves up or down.

She: “...You cut your hair.”

He: “You didn’t.”

Pause. Someone runs past them. Moment breaks.

_Coffee No Sugar:_ She’s holding two iced americanos. Hands him one. “Team leader said no sugar.” He takes it. Black, bitter. Same as high school convenience store coffee. He doesn’t drink it.

_Motif Call:_ He pulls apart the straw wrapper. It tears unevenly. One side longer. Like a broken chopstick.

_Act 2: The Unspoken Rules | 9:00–17:00_

_Setting:_ Weeks pass. Rainy season again.

_Key Beats:_

_Team Dinner:_ His startup gets a joint project with her ministry team. Hoesik at a BBQ place. All the directors order for everyone. Soju flows.

Her father is there. Doesn’t recognize him. Claps his shoulder: “Young people these days, very smart.” He bows 90 degrees. Holds it a second too long.

_Bathroom Mirror:_ He washes his hands. Looks at himself. Same cheap suit from job fair. In the mirror, he sees her father behind him, fixing his tie. Hermes.

Father leaves without a word. He looks at his hands again. No ring. No watch. No card to give.

_The Second Umbrella:_ Storm hits after hoesik. Everyone scatters to cars. She’s left without one. Again.

He stands there, umbrella in hand. She looks at him. Then at her father’s car pulling up.

She bows. “Gwaenchanayo.” Walks into the rain.

He doesn’t open the umbrella. Stands in rain watching taillights.

_Sound:_ Rain on plastic sheeting. Distant thunder.

_Tone:_ OST starts here. Low piano, one note repeated. Like a chopstick tapping empty glass.

_Act 3: The Second No | 17:00–23:00_

_Setting:_ Namsan Tower. Night. They didn’t plan it. Both just ended up there.

_Key Beats:_

_Locks & Keys:_ Tourists putting love locks on the fence. She’s watching. He stands beside her.

He: “Do you think they work?”

She: “If they did, my parents wouldn’t have arranged...” Stops herself.

Silence. Seoul blinks below them.

_The Question:_ She turns to him. “Why do you still... why are you here?”

He: “Because you never said you didn’t like me. You said it wasn’t possible.”

She starts crying. Not pretty drama tears. Ugly, real. “It’s still not. I’m getting engaged. Next spring.”

_The Cut:_ Same as Ep 1. No slap. No shouting.

She takes a lock from her bag. Not a couple lock. Just a blank one. Clicks it onto the fence. No key. No name.

She leaves. He doesn’t stop her.

Camera holds on the lock. One of thousands. Anonymous.

_End Scene:_ Back in present, 26. Penthouse.

He opens the drawer. Flip phone still there. Deletes the draft: “Did you eat?”

Types new one: “Congrats.”

Hovers over send. Doesn’t.

Puts phone back. Picks up the single chopstick from Ep 1. Snaps it in half.

Sets both pieces down next to each other.

Looks at Han River. Same bridge lights.

_Cut to black._

_Post-Credit Sting | 3 seconds_

Namsan Tower, present day.

A hand reaches for the blank lock.

It’s not his. It’s not hers.

A tourist. Puts their own lock next to it.

Camera pulls back. Thousands of locks. Two pieces of wood lying together.

To be continued...

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